picnic table escape a la pottery barn

Yes, you read that right. I said "table-escape." Sometimes you just have to do it!

I stayed away from Pottery Barn all summer, but when I popped in a couple of days ago I spotted these salad plates, and all I could think about was a picnic. Kooky, right? The set of four is called Morning  Paper. Nicely suited for coffee and a breakfast roll.  But what can I say?

On the coast you head for the ocean to get cool on a hot summer's day. Here in New Mexico we head for the hills.

We arrived just after the rain. Late in summer, mid-week, there is little competition for the ideal spot. We chose a table nestled in the trees, away from the car lot, next to a brook. The sound of water in a quiet place is hard to come by in an ordinary day.

There are picnics, and there are picnics. This one is more about staving off hunger before we head back for town. Basic. A little vino, bread, fruit, and cheese.

Basic, but not boring. These wonderful plates are not fragile, but thick like ironstone. Paired with a grey linen napkin, an outdoor setting can lean more toward romance and sophistication. An occasion.

A handy straw tote carries it all.

A little mix and match vintage glassware is always festive.

(Serrano ham for the fellas.)

It's the sort of thing you always want to do before summer is over. And it can wait no longer. . . .

You might want to bring along someone special,

. . . who has a good knife! (haha)

We didn't spend a lot of time at it. A little dose of nature goes a long way. There was the delicious pine scented air. The lovely drive. And a flock of wild turkeys hanging around the picnic grounds. You see cool stuff like that when you give nature a chance. 

I brought along a crock thinking I would find some sunflowers along the way. Nothing doing. But I did find these berry branches of something looking rather decorative. Probably poisonous. (But don't worry, we didn't eat any!)

And no kidding about those turkeys . . . .

I have visited these grounds since I was a girl when there was no parking or even picnic tables. We put soda and beer in the snow fed stream and played baseball in a clearing. Kids and adults together.

 Times have changed. . . . But the hills are still here. . . .

I hope you are getting in those last licks of summer too!

Thanks so much for sailing by!

Jacqueline

Join me at

Between Naps on the Porch~Tablescape Thursday

French Country Cottage~Feathered Nest Friday